My dad was never part of my life, basically. He took off when I was born, I met him briefly as a preteen, and then I only began to really connect with him very recently, as an adult in my 30s.
He’s really into self-help and motivational speaking stuff. He keeps telling me to read these motivation/self-help books, or watch these hours-long videos, because he pretty much lives by this stuff. You can’t talk to the man without him quoting some self-help guru, every single time. It’s honestly pretty grating.
So what I’m looking for is a book that isn’t directly insulting, but is basically something like “How to properly connect with your adult children after being a deadbeat dad their entire lives”. Like, actual, honest advice to someone in his position, but one that would make it perfectly clear that I’m basically saying “Yeah, you could use this book to be a better father, Mr. Motivation.”
by JusticeDoppelganger
12 Comments
Ha! Nothing perfect came to mind but I thought this book might be a good dig.
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents – Lindsay Gibson
Not quite what you want, but a little more of the aggressive side of passive-aggressive.
https://www.amazon.com/How-Not-Dick-Love-Everything/dp/006287182X?ref=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=e867768f-9cae-485a-b2c2-1eba4ae241a7
Save the money and buy yourself something nice.
Ego is the enemy by Ryan Holiday
Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be by Becky Kennedy
Obvious by the title, but she also says many times in the book that it’s never too late, even giving a couple of examples of parents of adults working on their relationships with their children.
I think there’s a book called adult children of emotionally immature parents. That would be an excellent one considering that he’s like obsessed with self-help gurus
Today I Will Nourish My Inner Martyr
Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson, PHD, or The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson.
https://www.amazon.com/What-Would-Skeletor-Do-Diabolical/dp/0789335506
Why do you think giving someone a spiteful gift, out of spite, is a good idea?
The Poisonwood Bible.
I would recommend better boundaries instead. For your sake.